As we head closer and closer to the biggest annual event in Dota 2, Virtus.Pro and Team Liquid, the top two teams of the 2017-18 Dota Pro Circuit, remain the betting favourites to win it all, according to the latest The International 2018 Betting Odds.

ArcaneBet has both Virtus.Pro and Team Liquid tied at 4.00 odds (bet $100 to win $400) to win TI8. Meanwhile, the two-time Major champions, PSG.LGD, are close behind at 5.00 odds. The rest of the field aren’t even close, however. Team Secret have the fourth-best odds to win TI8 at 11.00 odds, followed by both ViCi Gaming and Evil Geniuses, at 13.00 odds, rounding out the top five.

It’s clear that starpower and name recognition play key roles in how the oddsmakers decided the odds for TI8. If it wasn’t, then OG and Evil Geniuses definitely shouldn’t be on the top 10 of the betting odds. Both teams’ rosters are rather fresh, and as overwhelming as the culmulative talent and experience Evil Geniuses may have on their new roster, we all know that three months is far from enough time to turn a team into legitimate contenders.

Although it is possible that oddsmakers put a lot of credence on Evil Geniuses win at the Dota Summit 9. Admittedly, the boys in blue did make a big impression in Los Angeles. While it was a non-factor tournament with only six teams, the fact remains that they dropped only three games all tournament long en-route to the win, with two of their losses coming against Fnatic in a non-factor series after already clinching the top seed during the group stages.

As for the wide gap between the triumvirate of Team Liquid, Virtus.Pro, and PSG.LGD and the rest of the competitive field, it’s quite easy to explain.

Who Are The Teams to Watch Out For?

Led by the ever-changing and unpredictable, Jacky ‘EternaLEnVy’ Mao, Fnatic (25.00) are another team to keep a close eye on at TI8. (Fnatic)

Don’t let the latest The International 2018 betting odds fool you. TI8 is still anyone’s ball game. Team Liquid and Virtus.Pro may have spent the entire season proving their dominance, especially the latter. However, it’s not like the rest of the competitive field just rolled over and didn’t learn a thing or two from their losses.

The constant international clashes that resulted from the 2017-18 Dota Pro Circuit gave teams a chance to compete against each other and hone their skills all season long. As a result, the level of competition has been raised. You could argue that this is going to be the most competitive TI yet.

According to the latest The International 2018 betting odds by ArcaneBet, the biggest underdogs are Invictus Gaming (71.00), Team Serenity (66.00) and Winstrike (66.00). However, these three teams are very well capable of taking games off of anyone. Winstrike, for example, came relatively close to making it to the grand finals at EPICENTER XL. They eliminated Virtus.Pro and pushed Team Liquid to a third and final game that could’ve gone either way.

Of the eighteen Dota 2 teams playing at The International 2018, Winstrike will definitely be one to watch out for. But, they’re not alone in that regard. TNC Pro Team (31.00) will be looking to finally cement themselves as legitimate contenders this year, two years after they pulled off one of the greatest upsets in TI history. Meanwhile, OpTic gaming (25.00) are no slouch themselves. Only a fool would count the team led by the legendary captain and TI5 winner, Peter ‘ppd‘ Dager.

Will the Chinese Prevail?

The legendary player-turned-coach, Bai ‘rOtk’ Fan, is probably hard at work right now helping whip VGJ.Thunder into playing shape ahead of TI8. (Team VGJ)

The TI east-west cycle states that it’s the east’s turn to win TI this year, and with as many as six teams in the tournament pool, that could certainly happen. Especially because the Chinese teams, apart from PSG.LGD, are actually a lot more competitive than the latest The International 2018 betting odds suggest.

Both Newbee and ViCi Gaming are still powerhouses in their own rights. Lest we forget, the former still retain the same squad that appeared in the Grand Finals of The International 2017 last year.

As for VGJ.Thunder, they may have fallen off the proverbial ladder as the season came to a close and very nearly missed out on a direct invite to TI8, but their roster is still not to be underestimated. Leong ‘ddc‘ Fat-meng remains one of the few veterans in Dota 2 to have attended every TI so far. Meanwhile, Liu ‘Sylar‘ Jiajun will be looking to make some noise after missing out on the biggest tournament in Dota 2 these past two years.

Then there’s Invictus Gaming and Team Serenity, the latter of which are pretty much the biggest unknowns of the tournament. In fact, only two members of Team Serenity, Jin ‘zhizhizhi‘ Zhiyi and Zhao ‘XinQ‘ Zixing, have previously played in a big LAN tournament against international competition.

While Team Serenity certainly have the most tape to study for, they are also headed into the tournament shrouded in mystery, which could prove to be advantageous in a tournament where everybody has studied everyone else.

Final Thoughts

It’s only fair to say that anyone has a shot at winning TI, or at least, making a deep run. We’ve seen our fair share of upset runs in the past years to deny the reality of that statement. But, even so, it’s hard to deny the fact that some teams are just better than others.

It’s clear that the trio of Team Liquid, Virtus.Pro and PSG.LGD are the favorites to win it all, and with the three them having won the last four Majors to end the 2017-18 Dota Pro Circuit, it’s easy to see why they stand on top of the latest The International 2018 betting odds.

Which Dota 2 team do you think will end up winning The International 2018? Will Team Liquid repeat as the champions and make history? Will Virtus.Pro remain true to their form and finally win it all? Or will we see PSG.LGD hoisting the Aegis of Champions and keeping the TI east-west cycle alive for yet another year? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest on your favourite Esports titles.